Do you know that song "Walk Away Renee"? It's the one they used to spin a lot on oldies radio (back when oldies radio was, y'know, an actual thing). It's that one with those painful lyrics and that sweet, sweet melody, all gussied up with harpsichord and those lush strings. The one that really sounds like nothing else from that era? Well, it's by a UK band called The Left Banke. And about 10 years ago, I almost fell headlong into a deep obsession with them.

Almost. I tried. I mean I really, really tried. I wanted to celebrate The Left Banke's entire catalog, but it was not meant to be. I was so excited by their sound - the mix of these classical instruments into the guitar pop of the day - but I couldn't find another song as well-crafted and catchy as "Walk Away Renee". They weren't bad songs by any means, but nothing timeless, nothing great.

Fortunately, this search into their catalog left a profound effect on my musical tastes. And I was delighted to discover that plenty of current artists had taken a cue from The Left Banke, but penned much, much better tunes. Even to this day, when I hear The Divine Comedy, Rufus Wainwright, Badly Drawn Boy, High Llamas, Belle & Sebastian or Elliott Smith I get a little stirred up inside. That great baroque pop production is there, but it's only there to serve great songs.

Sondre Lerche plays this game and he plays it better than most. After 10 years, Lerche has honed his sound, perfecting his widescreen pop ideas. You can hear the confidence on his seventh record, 2009's Heartbeat Radio.


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